Galini Hotel

2 readers found this review helpful

We booked this holiday last minute, so got it at a good price. However if we had booked in advance and paid the full price then we would have been seething, as some people had paid double the amount we had and this hotel was certainly not three star standard, but sub-standard. We have been using Olympic Holidays for the last few years several times each year and have had no problems with any other holidays or accommodation, in fact some of them have excelled our expectations, but unfortunately this Hotel did not.
The hotel looked very tired and is well past it’s sell by date. The rooms are based on traditional Cretan style with concrete based beds, and although maid service was daily, the towels and bedding were only changed twice during our 1 week stay. Showers are hand held, and the curtain does not reach the bottom of the shower tray, therefore the floors become very wet a slippy. There was also a bare wire exposed in the shower area. Also be warned that if you leave your doors open the local stray cats will come visiting!

We stayed on a half board basis and breakfast hardly varied throughout our stay and we were allowed tea/coffee and very watered down juice with breakfast, however we were not even allowed a glass of water with our evening meal. This was only provided for all inclusive guests, who were also entitled to a glass of wine with their meal. The food was just ok, but very bland, with the vegetables from the previous night, being served up again the next day in another guise, i.e sometimes made into soup or added to stews. If you like traditional greek food, then don’t expect to get it at the hotel. However if you like luke warm food and lots of pasta, rice and chips then you will be ok, along with very watery flavoured ice cream, jelly and sometimes mousse and fruit pieces.
The pool area left much to be desired, as it was very run down and totally inadequate for the size of the accommodation. The pictures in the brochures give a false impression of its size, and although the pool is very deep it is also extremely small. To add to this the sun terraces were un-inviting, with only a limited number of serviceable unbroken sunbeds, with the broken ones all stacked to one side, along with the broken slides from the pool and damaged tables and chairs, this area had become the home of the local stray cat population. We did not know there was a children's playground until it was pointed out to us as it was away from the main complex and was very run down and paid no regard to health and safety.
The hotel itself did not provide any entertainment, apart from a weekly disco, which was held in the pool side bar,(as the hotel bar was not actually used at all). The disco basically consisted of the music being played via the only compilation CD they owned, which jumped and was turned up very loudly and the bar lights were dimmed, so that you could not see the people across from you! This actually resulted in the bar clearing very quickly. Apart from that there were a few board games available and an old pool table. Also the local draft beer was so weak it could hardly crawl out of the pump!
If you did decide to walk down to the local beach area you had a 10 minute walk through a building site as construction is underway to build an all inclusive holiday complex, with building work commencing at 7am in the morning, including weekends and was audible at the hotel. We were told that this mega complex will not be completed until 2011. However when you did reach the beach there were a few gift shops and a nice bar called the Havana beach bar which sold a large Mythos for three euros fifty that actually tasted of beer and was lovely and cold.

If you are thinking about staying at the Galini then make sure you have extra funds with you so that you can hire a car,(there are five car hire showrooms within a 300 mtr walk) as there is nothing to do or see in the local vicinity and the bus service is poor. Also please be aware that the hotel is not actually in Hersonissos, but a good 45 minutes walk away and it is advisable to get a taxi back which will cost you around eight euros.
In our opinion the Galini Hotel is not suitable for families or young people as there is very little for them to do and indeed we would certainly not recommend it for elderly people or anyone with a disablity due to it's location. If you want to visit Crete which is a wonderful historical and beautiful island then avoid the Galini Hotel.

3 readers found this review helpful

This is the worst hotel I have ever stayed in.
The food was disgusting, the staff are arrogant and rude, there is nothing at all near the hotel its in middle of nowwhere,the holiday rep from olymimpic was a joke when I complained he did not want to know, every body we met at the hotel thought the same, please take notice and book somewhere else, as you will regret coming here.
The only good thing was that we met some lovely people there

2 readers found this review helpful

Me and My Partner stayed at the Galini hotels near hersonissos the during september, Ok Its not the most modern hotel in the world but we've been to greece many times before and know what to expect. when we were there we found one group of ladies to be very rude trying to demote the hotel it self to the other guest most of whome were glad when they left, come on seriously why try to bring others down just because your not happy when we booked we read the brochure in the travel agent and got pretty much what we expected not forgetting that crete is the most southernly point in europe and the prices are so cheap you probably cant even fly there for the same price if you want an english holiday stay in england.The Hotel has a great pool and the restaraunt offers a variety of food ok breakfast is pretty similar but we was aware of this and just reading some of the reviews (watered down ice cream) not quite sure how you could do that. There are a selection of beaches within 15 minutes ok we got rainend on one day but the main town has much to offer we walked most days with a taxi back costing 7/8 euros depending on how the taxi driver felt all in all we enjoyed our holiday and will return to crete again

3 readers found this review helpful

Booked this holiday as it was our10th wedding anniversary, we would have better off at home.
bedrooms dark and dingy, bathroomflooded every time you had a shower, mould all round the shower tray and up the curtain.Concrete beds with mattresses to match.
We were all inclusive but ate out most of the time. The food was disgusting, most of the food was not coverd up so had flies landing on it, its ok if you like pasta, chips & salad with the odd fly dropping.
Pool was a nice size but most sunbeds broken. They played very loud music all day so no rest.
No entertainment apart from the receptionist with a lap top on sunday eve. playing some music whilst serving at the bar.
The whole place is a bad accident waiting to happen so many hazzards. One man was taken to hospital while we were there fell off a sun bed had stitches to his head an elderly gent at that
beaches were not very good very rocky and lots of litter on them, even saw a hyperdermic not something you would expect to find.
All in all i would not even give this 1 star let alone 3.

2 readers found this review helpful

Me and my boyfriend have returned from a one week holiday from the galini hotel, and i feel terribly sorry for those who had to spend 2 weeks there !
All the people we spoke to had a bad thing to say about their stay...Breakfast was bread, cold meat and cereal....the juice, ice cream and drinks were all waterd down which made us ill. We made friends with two girls that were on all inclusive and they offered to buy us drinks, but when the staff saw them giving us drinks they told them they could no longer buy drinks they had to pay (for their own). No entertainment apart from a cocky hypnotist. There was a family there that payed all inclusive but had to buy pot noodles and pay 4euro to use the kettle for hot water.
The bar staff was friendly but the reception staff were horrible !
ALSO we booked to go to a water park called 'Aqua Plus' through our hotel where we was told to walk to the top of the hill and wait for a train which would arrive at 10.15, we got there for 10.00 and was still waiting for this train at 12.30 ! when it finally arrived we was on it for 2 minuites befour some bloke showed up in a van with his wife and child and shouted... aqua plus come on come on ! being picked we was told 6 && as we was waiting for the bloke who had dropped us off, a compleatly different man approached us and said 'galini hotel' we followed him to this shappy looking jeep with the licence plate hanging off, to which he stoped in the middle of a road and asked us directions ! when we finally arrived back at hell...we saw he had no tax disc ! No night life...Childrens playground is full of weeds and broken swings. Nothing at all for children !! and even if your on all inclusive you will spend money !!

2 readers found this review helpful

I paid for a holiday for me and partner and 4yr old and 9 month old when i booked this in thompson i was told that this is an child friendly place "HA what a joke" there is a park which is over grown with weeds and broken swings. also i booked a family room due to having a buggy, to get to the room we had to go up a gravel hill in complete darkness.
the apartment had no kettle no microwave or oven and no cot although when it was booked we made the rep phone them to make sure it had all of this due to having a baby these essentials are needed, we turned up to find we had nothing we were very upset, we queried this with the lady at reception ( who was very rude!!) and we got told we had to pay 6 euro for cot per day!! kettle was there own she said she going to charge 3 Euro per day and also there is no microwave or oven as only have two in the complex which are in use!!! so we had to heat the baby food up at the restaurent told them to heat for 10 secs was absoloutly boiling hot!!! we had a shower in the apartment which flooded the whole place rung reception which came a little while later and was told they will send someone out the next day to fix it and would send a cleaner which came very later on that evening by then i had already cleaned up as cant let my children walk around a flooded room!!
we orginally came half board on the understanding we would get a soft drink with our meal but NO!!! we wasnt allowed we had to upgrade to all inclusive to get a drink with our meal which was a stupid amount of money to pay!!
the food well breakfast is ham,cheese,tomatoes cereal and bread as no toaster!!! this is the same every morning lunch is pretty much same also salad and dinner well its the same also they use what left over of breakfast and lunch and make dinner, not very good selection of food at all for what you pay for all inclusive its not worth it!!!
we upgraded to all inclusive but on our last day was told the bands had to be cut off as wasnt entitiled to all inclusive as came as half board and we would have to pay extra for the last day we suggested just keeping our 4year old all inc but no as she might get us drinks!!! its pathetic so she came at me with a pair of scissors to cut the band off with my baby in my arms (this is the rude women in reception) so that was the end off all inclusive!! also there is no evening entertainment at all apart from a cd which is played every night the beach is a long walk and is very rocky to get to a nice beach its a good 45mins walk away in hersonissos as the hotel is in anissaras not hersonissos!!! this holiday is the worst holiday ever would not reccommed at all!! specially if you have children!!!

1 reader found this review helpful

We booked our holiday and then read these reviews…. Well, I was worried!!! But the Galini was great, we had such a good holiday and guess what… holidays are what YOU make them.
At the end of the day, it was a 3 star so you can’t expect too much but the rooms were spacious and clean, there were around 4 choices of hot meals each day with a different soup, plenty bread and gorgeous Greek salads.
There wasn’t much in the line of entertainment but I can’t remember the brochure advertising it. The beer was very nice and there was red, white and rose wine and lots of soft drinks, no spirits in the all inclusive however.
It was a 10 minute taxi (7euro) into Hersonissos and a 20 minute slow walk to the beach but we walked about 30 for a nicer spot.
We had a late flight going home but we kept our room for only 15euro!
All in all it was a fantastic holiday, some people just go on holiday to moan and pick at things but just get on with it and enjoy yourselves!!! Yasas!

Me and my partner David have just spent one week all inclusive at the Galini Hotel and had a truley fantastic time. The food was all served buffet style and tradistional Greek cuisine excetly what one would except from a Greek hotel as its in Greece.The hotel was situtied in a quiet relaxed location which we truly loved and felt so relaxed after it. If you do want a more lively night out you can get a taxi to Herssonissos for 7 euro which the reception staff are more the happy to call for you. The hotel is basic but clean.Towels and bedding are changed every other day and the poolbar staff are really lovely. The only slight downside to the hotel is it is really remote and could do with a few more pubs and restaurents in the area thats the only reason i can not give it a 10. we both loved it and would diffently visit again. Adele & David from Hull.

1 reader found this review helpful

me and my friend lindsay have just returned from a weeks holiday at galini hotel! it was not what we expected or what we were told! we were told by our travel agent that the galili hotel was in hersonissos not a 45 minute walk away down a dark road which is not safe for young girls at night! the beach was at 20 minute walk again down a long road through a building site!! we paid for all inclusive but we spent a fortune because the bar only offered draft beer, wine and soft drinks which were only available until 11pm after that we had to pay! we often asked for 2 drinks just before 11 but was told we had to finish the first drink before we could have a second! the food was terrible, very little choice for breakfast and what ever was for dinner was concocted into something else for tea!! we cant complain about the room as it was very clean and spacious and the maid cleaned and made the beds everyday! the staff wasnt very helpful as when we arrived and left we struggled to carry our cases up 2 flights of stairs as there was no lift! we made the most of our holiday and met some lovely friends but we can safely say we wont be returning to the galini hotel!!

1 reader found this review helpful

We have just returned from two weeks from hell , the worst holiday ever at the galini hotel. The selection of foods were awful,breakfast was bread.cold meat or cereal, no sign of a toaster or you could pay extra for bacon even though we had already paid for all inclusive,no food options for children except pizza and burgers done on one out of the fourteen days we were there, the rooms were like a prison cell with uncomfortable beds, one curtain covering one out of the three windows , shower that flooded the room every time it was used, a radio that didnt work, air con or fridge at 6 and 4 euros a day.
Lunch and tea was terrible, if you had beef and runner beans seperatly for lunch you would get them mixed together for tea , we complained and the rep shrugged his shoulders and the hotel owners were no further help unless we would pay a further 60 euros a night extra .
Onto the bar ,as all inclusive we were entitled to soft drinks or one type of local beer only, all which were watered down and any other drinks you had to pay for, no local spirits no chance of a proper drink , there was no entertainment at all apart from the same cd every night or a pool table at 2 euro's a game ,no tv on the premises , the shops and the beach are both a good 25 minute walk away. This holiday is for people who want to sit by the pool all day and do nothing else and i mean nothing else until you try and get some sleep.Our two teenager sons were bored from the first day and couldnt wait to come home,we were totaaly misled about the facilities at this hotel ,if you can call it a hotel it is a lower quality then a butlins challet.